And not only did Saffiedine show his skills as a striker, but he also shut down Bowling’s wrestling en route to a unanimous-decision win.

The welterweight was part of the “Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman” main card, which took place Saturday at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego and aired on Showtime.

From the start Bowling came out swinging wide with hooks to the body and head, which Saffiedine ate as he patiently waited to counter. As Bowling closed the distance, the clinch proved to be effective, and he threw knees up the middle that scored.

Meanwhile, Saffiedine punished with leg kicks to take away Bowling’s ability to explode into a takedown. Despite several attempts to take the fight down, Bowling was outmuscled and wound up reversed against the cage.

Bowling continued to score to the body with his power shots, but he also continued to eat leg kicks as the second round got underway. Hoping to further wear out his opponent, Saffiedine pressed the action to the cage. A straight right hand scored well for Saffiedine as the round ended.

Saffiedine continued to pick his shots and score against an increasingly desperate Bowling as the third round wore on. More leg kicks took the spring out of Bowling’s step and prevented him from getting the fight to the mat when Saffiedine missed with a spinning kick.

Saffiedine sealed his win by taking Bowling’s back after a takedown attempt. He ended the fight in choke position as the final bell sounded.

All three judges scored the fight for Saffiedine, 30-27.

With three straight wins under his belt, Saffiedine (13-3 MMA, 5-1 SF) thanked Bowling for a good fight and reflected on a possible shot at welterweight champ Nate Marquardt’s belt.

“I think the technique won,” he said afterward. “Who’s with me for the title?”

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